The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has rejected a bill proposing the creation of additional states in the Southeast.
IPOB argues that the creation of more states will only bring about confusion in a region where existing states have not been properly managed.
The spokesman for IPOB, Emma Powerful emphasized that a referendum on exiting Nigeria is the only acceptable solution, not the creation of additional states. On Thursday, the bill seeking to create Orlu State from parts of Imo, Abia, and Anambra passed its first reading in the House of Representatives.
Reacting to this development, Powerful stated that creating additional states would lead to increased confusion, hatred, and mismanagement. “We don’t want more states in Igboland; creating more states means creating more confusion and hatred among the Ndigbo. The already existing states have not been well managed by Nigeria, and now they want to create more confusion.
“The cost of governance is increasing daily in Nigeria; certainly, the new state will not be well managed like the others. “Most of the existing states in the country are not viable, and they want to add more confusion and problems.
“The creation of more states is not our problem. All we want is a total referendum to determine whether the Ndigbo would like to remain in Nigeria or not. The Ndigbo want total freedom, and that is what we insist on,” the statement reads.